Acquiescence can be said to be a state of obedience that a person shows in which no replies, no questions, no fights are expressed by the person who acquiesces. The individuals who depict acquiescence are considered weak and even defenseless since they just do what they are told. On the other hand, subversion is the counterpart of acquiescence because a person who subverts imposes him or herself over every circumstance that affects their welfare. They can even go beyond rules in order to be respected and to establish their position as someone who has the qualities to be dependent and valued. African American people sometimes acquiesce due to racism, jobs, discrimination, or just because cultural issues, but they also subvert when they fight for their fight and equal opportunities and treatments. The characters of Celie, Shug Avery, and Sofia reflect these aspects in different ways in the novel. Although these female characters are African American, this does not mean that they act in the same way, that they have the same personality, the same thoughts, or even the same freedom to choose the life that they want to have. Acquiescence and subversion are two important subjects exhibit in African Americans, and in the novel "The Color Purple," by Alice Walker these subjects are portrayed by three different female characters: Celie, Shug Avery, and Sofia. .
Celie presents acquiescence during the time when she lives in Albert's house. The character of Celie has never had freedom to make decisions over her life, and now that she lives with Albert she is not treated as a wife, she is like a maid who follows orders and is abused by Albert, who does not feel any kind of affection for her. She is an African American woman who shows a vulnerable character and has almost no right to say any word due to her race and the way she has been raised. Men have always been superior in her life, and she is forced to do and say what men want.